Most Important Dog Training Tips for Beginners

Pet parents love to spoil their furry best friends with delicious treats, playful toys, and loads of love. Needless to mention your pets are just like your kids, so they need both love and discipline. Choosing the right training techniques for your pet is the way to keep them healthy, happy, and obedient, without on-setting an unhealthy relationship.

When deciding to train your pet, there are various aspects to observe before you get started. Dog training is not about watching a few YouTube videos or reading about a few tricks online and getting started, as YouTube videos or training articles tell you what and how of dog training but miss out on most important thing- “why” your doggo acts the way they do.

Even the basic commands like 'sit', 'stop', or 'no' may require you to know your dog's behaviour first. Hence, here are two major things you need to observe for a good training experience when getting started.

• Observe and learn what your pet tries telling you about their actions or behaviour. The more you will understand their actions, the easier it would be to train them.
• Analyse their likes and dislikes regarding games, treats, and places and their triggers.

How can you train your pet?

Reward-based training:

This training technique includes offering your dog their favourite treats and cheering for them whenever they listen to your command or improve their behaviours. A reward for your pet could be their favourite treat, verbal praise, or cuddles.

This technique is mostly done with treats to teach the basic commands to a dog like 'sit', 'stand', 'no', and 'stop'. It tends to work great because most pets crave attention and affection, and this training offers them exactly that. You can try ignoring them whenever they disobey you and pay attention to them only when they are listening to you.

Adapt these simple tips!

Only knowing a training technique won't work. You need to know when and how to train your pet to see actual results. Adapting the following tips for your pet training sessions will skyrocket the results for you.

1. Start Now:

The earlier you begin to train your pet, the better. Remember that dogs tend to earn faster at an early age. So, delaying your training sessions might be a bad idea. You can start professional training for your pup once they have gotten their second round of vaccination.

2. Minimise distractions:

Dogs tend to get distracted very frequently, so eliminating the sources of distraction during a training session is important. Sources of distraction could be their favourite toy, loud noises, or even other pets. Hence, choose a time and location where your pet's distractions could be minimal.

3. Keep it short but consistent:

Breaking your training sessions short, ideally 20-30 minutes each, is an excellent way to train your pet without exhausting them. Pair it with consistency for the best results.

4. One step at a time:

Avoid overwhelming your pet with multiple words and train them with one command at a time. Training with multiple words together would confuse them and your pet may not learn anything at the end.

5. No punishments:

Yelling or punishing your pet for every unwanted behaviour won't help with training them. Remember that your pet is not a human. Hence, they may take some time in understanding what you are teaching. Punishments like not providing food or water, using electric belts, or even beatings will make your pet worse. These punishments can even cause depression and anxiety in your dog.

It's time to begin!

You now probably know how to begin training your furry friend at home. However, techniques used to train one may not work for another dog. This is because every dog is different and they have their individual preferences and understanding the 'why' of training takes time and patience. Hence, be patient in your approach.

When training your dog, ensure it is a balanced mix of motivation and obligation. Kuddle's expert canine behaviorists can not only help you teach your dog necessary commands but also with resolution of behavioral issues. At-home training will help your dog get complete attention and learning at a comfortable pace and environment. On Kuddle App, you can choose a dog behaviorist based by considering their ratings, reviews and years of experience. You can schedule an Assessment session with Kuddle Behaviorist to curate a tailored training program for your doggo. Get started today!